Seals for jars and the like



Dec. 8, 1959 K. A. KLINGLER 2,916,173

sEALs FOR JARS AND THE LIKE Filed Mrch 19, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 1 19 l 20 I7 j J! .flfi! v ar any er 2 6y JZYr/rer & Carzer" Dec. 8, 1959 K. A. KLINGLER SEALS FOR JARS AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 19, 1956 1710977602 JzarZ flJf/z'ngZer 63 Parker 5 Cafle/ Dec. 8, 1959 K. A. KLINGLER 5,

SEALS FOR JARS AND THE LIKE Filed March 19, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet a lillg'. 6 2:5 jnvanzar United States Patent SEALS FOR JARS AND THE LIKE Karl A. Klingler, Naperville, Ill.

Application March 19, 1956, Serial No. 572,531

2 Claims. (31. 215-40 My invention relates to seals for receptacles and the like of the type generally illustrated in United States Patent 2,506,362 issued May 2, 1950.

In general, I propose to provide an openmouth jar or receptacle with a lid which will register with the open mouth and which will carry a self-contained sealing means which may be easily manipulated manually to form a vacuum in the jar, which will maintain the cover in closed seal position and the cover will carry means whereby the user may easily form the vacuum and break it at will.

Other objects will appear from time to time throughout the specification and claims.

My invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation in part section of jar, cover and seal in the position they occupy before the vacuum has been applied;

Figure 2 is a detail section on an enlarged scale of Figure 1 showing the sealed relationship of the parts;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the sealing diaphragm;

Figure 4 is a section along the line 44 of Figure 3; showing the diaphragm in its sealing position;

Figure 5 is a detail section on an enlarged scale similar to Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a section on an enlarged scale along the line 6-6 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a plan view of the device shown in Figure 1;

Figure 8 is a detail plan view of the device shown in Figure 6.

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specification and drawings.

1 is a jar or receptacle having an open mouth. The mouth is interiorly flanged as at 2. The flange presents on its outside an upwardly and inwardly extending conical surface 3 and on its inside a downwardly and in wardly curved surface 4 which may be between its inner and outer edges grooved as at 5. In order to protect the seal, the body of the jar 1 may extend upwardly above the upper extremity of the flange 2.

6 is a cover for the jar, the maximum diameter of which projects outwardly beyond the uppermost portion of the flange 2. The cover is upwardly arched as indicated and centrally apertured, a handle ring 7 encircling the aperture. A flange 8 extending downwardly from the under surface of the cover 6 adjacent its outer periphery is grooved at 9, the flange being bounded at its outer periphery by a generally cylindrical surface 10. 11 is a plunger extending upwardly through the aperture in the being radially apertured at 1 4.

The seal comprises an extensible elastic anchor ring "ice 15 of rubber or rubber-like material which may be stretched to engage and penetrate the groove 9. Extending downwardly from the anchor ring 15 is a thin cylindrical sleeve 16 which when the anchor ring 15 is seated in and fills the groove 9 is stretched about the cylindrical portion 10 of the flange 8. Downwardly extending from the sleeve 16 and integral therewith is a sealing ring 17 having adjacent its lower portion a contact ring 18 adapted as shown particularly in Figure 2 to rest upon the conical surface 3 of the flange 2. 19-is an extensible diaphragm integral with and extending inwardly from the inner edge of the sealing ring 17 and adapted when in the sealed position as shown in Figure 2 to rest against the curved surface 4 of the flange 2.

When in the unsealed position, the diaphragm 19 is held under tension in a generally horizontal plane, being bounded about its outer periphery by the sealing ring 17 as shown in Figure 1, with the foot 13 resting upon the diaphragm 1%.

The diaphragm 19 is provided with a centrally disposed relatively thick, integral disc or seal support 20, the outer diameter of which where it projects above the diaphragm is somewhat less than the inner diameter of the pocket defined by the enlarged portion 12 of the plunger 11. The disc 20 is centrally grooved on its upper surface at 21, the Width of the groove being substantially less than the diameter of the disc, the length of the groove extending across the disc radially being substantially greater than its width. Extending upwardly from the bottom of the groove is the valve body which is defined by two flexible-opposed lip members 22. They define a slit 23 through the disc 20, the disc being grooved as at 24 on its underside below the slit 23. These lip members 22 project from the bottom of the groove 21 and extend above the level of the disc 20 so that if pressure is applied to a fluid below the valve, the fluid will pass upwardly through the slit 23, spreading the lips 22 apart. But if pressure is applied to fluid above the valve, pressure will force the lips together to close the slit 23.

Reinforcing members 25 at both ends of the slit and a reinforcing member 26 intermediate the ends of the slit overlie the slit and extend between the disc 20 to the lip members 22 overlying the groove 21 to reinforce the lips 22 to prevent excessive spreading of the lips as a result of fluid pressure below the slit and to assist pressure above the lips in holding them together to seal the opening.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

The cover with a seal and a plunger as a unit may be placed in the open mouth of the jar as in Figure 1. The cover then rests on the jar with the sealing ring 17 engaging the conical surface 3 on the flange 2 and with the diaphragm extending across the open mouth of the jar and contacting only the upper portion of the flange 2. This closes but does not seal the jar and the cover may easily be lifted off or put back.

Assuming that the contents of the jar is sufiiciently below the open mouth thereof, the operator then pushes downwardly on the plunger 11, stretching the diaphragm 19 into the position shown in Figures 2, 4 and 5. This results in forcing air out of the jar and the air will pass out through the valve slit 23 past the lips 22 through the pocket in the plunger, the apertures 14 and through the hole in the cover. The diaphragm 19 will now be under substantially increased tension. As soon as pressure on the plunger 11 is released, the diaphragm tends to assume its flat or horizontal position. The valve lips 22 close the opening and air cannot enter the jar through the diaphragm and as a result a vacuum is drawn within the jar represented by the eflort of the diaphragm 19 to resume its flat position. This causes the sealing ring 18 3 and the diaphragm to be drawn snugly against the conical portion 3 of the flange 2 and the curved portion 4 of the flange 2 respectively.

The anchor ring 15 is so much thicker and stronger than the sleeve 16 that any tension exerted by the diaphragm 19 through the sealing ring cannot effectively be transmitted through the relatively weak sleeve 16 to in anyway unseat the anchor ring 15. Thus the tension on the anchor ring is not disturbed and an air-tight seal is defined between the anchor ring and the cover. The

. tension in the diaphragm 19 even if it tends to draw the sealing ring 17 inwardly merely increases the pressure between the sealing ring 18 and the flange 2 so as to increase the air seal at that point.

Air pressure outside the diaphragm tends also to deflect the diaphragm 19 into the groove and thereby further increases the seal effect. Thus the seal between the sealing ring 17 with its rib 18 and the flange and the seal between the diaphragm and the groove 5 of the diaphragm and the curved surface 4 of the flange 2 all cooperate independent of slight changes in shape, inaccuracy of manufacture, to insure a positive vacuum seal which holds the cover snugly in place but all the user has to do to break the seal is to press the plunger 11 back to the position at which the seal was made when the cover can be easily removed because under those circumstances the vacuum in the jar will have been relieved against the tension of the diaphragm by the user deflecting the diaphragm back to the position at which the seal was first in effect.

The sealing or cushion ring 17 is of substantially less ross sectional area than the anchor ring so that when a vacuum is drawn in the jar, the sealing ring 17 may collapse from the position shown in Figure 1 against the surface 3, thus widening the area through which vacuum causes the diaphragm and sealing ring to grip the flange 2.

While for the purpose of convenience, I have shown an apple-shaped jar with the outer periphery masking the seal edge and with a flange projecting inwardly, it will be understood that the flange might be on the end of the jar, in which case you would have a jar which was cylindrical inside Without any restriction at the sealing flange. By the same token, the portion which rises above and masks the edge of the seal could well be omitted provided means added to insure proper alignment or proper positioning of the lid on the seal.

As a matter of fact, while I have illustrated a round jar, it is quite obvious that the seal itself does not need to be circular but could be polygonal or oval or any other shape provided it was shaped to fit the particular jar sealing surface.

I claim:

1. In combination, a flange encircling the open mouth of a jar, having its upper surface bounded by a cone, the apex of which is above the jar, a jar cover having a peripheral groove in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the mouth of the jar, an elastomeric sleeve diaphragm extending across the cover, bounded by a sealing ring extending downwardly from the diaphragm and engaging the conical surface of the flange, an anchor ring above the sealing ring, an annular sleeve joining the rings, the anchor ring being seated in the peripheral groove in the cover.

2. In combination, a flange encircling the open mouth of a jar, having its upper surface bounded by a cone, the apex of which is above the jar, a jar cover having a pcripheral groove in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the mouth of the jar, an elastorneric sleeve diaphragm extending across the cover, bounded by a sealing ring extending downwardly from the diaphragm and engaging the conical surface of the flange, an anchor ring above the sealing ring, an annular sleeve joining the rings, the anchor ring being seated in the peripheral groove in the cover, the inner upper surface of the flange being convex and corrugated where the diaphragm rests against it.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,228,435 Binon Jan. 14, 1941 2,506,362 Hoflmann May 2, 1950 2,766,796 Tupper Oct. 16, 1956 2,768,762 Guinet Oct. 30, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 807,248 Germany June 28, 1951 

